Solo diving

[Billg68bg]

So... The wife and I are going to Curacao in August. She snorkels, but doesn't dive. She posed an interesting scenario that I am not sure about and seeking opinions or advice.

There are some beaches in Curacao where I can rent equipment and shore dive. It will only be the two of us going. Her thought was. I can maybe get in a dive or two while she snorkels above. My concern is, if I do run into trouble, I am still the only one under water, but, at the same time, I really want to dive as much as I can. I have limited dive experience(9. All from boats), but am confident in my ability and don't panic easily, having already faced a regulator malfunction and remained calm throughout. My gut tells me it's a bad idea, but I don't want to overreact, either.

So the question is, is it a bad idea to go under alone with someone snorkeling above basically pacing me?

 

[tursiops]

So... The wife and I are going to Curacao in August. She snorkels, but doesn't dive. She posed an interesting scenario that I am not sure about and seeking opinions or advice.

There are some beaches in Curacao where I can rent equipment and shore dive. It will only be the two of us going. Her thought was. I can maybe get in a dive or two while she snorkels above. My concern is, if I do run into trouble, I am still the only one under water, but, at the same time, I really want to dive as much as I can. I have limited dive experience(9. All from boats), but am confident in my ability and don't panic easily, having already faced a regulator malfunction and remained calm throughout. My gut tells me it's a bad idea, but I don't want to overreact, either.

So the question is, is it a bad idea to go under alone with someone snorkeling above basically pacing me?

At 9 dives? Yes, it is a bad idea. Go with your gut...

 

[Cheizz]

I am by no means an expert on this. But common sense tells me...

- she can't assist or help you in case of... well, anything, really.

I would just go snorkeling with her. Keep diving for another time, with a dive buddy.

 

[Billg68bg]

At 9 dives? Yes, it is a bad idea. Go with your gut...

Thanks. Kinda knew the answer. Just needed affirmation, I guess.

 

[Marie13]

9 dives? Not a good idea. Please don’t.

 

[Boarderguy]

Look up dive ops in the area and just grab a morning tour that caters to both snorkeling and scuba. Please don't solo as an inexperienced vacation diver. Many more dives and redundancy is needed to do it safely.

 

[rx7diver]

So the question is, is it a bad idea to go under alone with someone snorkeling above basically pacing me?

Depends, I think. How thorough was your OW and AOW training? How confident are you in your abilities? Will you be diving shallow enough (say, in the lagoon between the shore and a barrier reef--if there in fact is a barrier reef) that your wife will be skin-diving down to your depth--you know, swimming pool diving well depth?

rx7diver

 

[Lorenzoid]

If you do some reading in the Solo Divers forum, which you will note is a sub-forum of the Advanced Scuba forum, it should become apparent to you that diving "solo" involves some advanced skills, planning, mindset, etc. Most of those who dive solo have gotten specific training to do so (there are courses titled "Self-Reliant Diver," for example, and you get a cert card for having passed the course). There are risks you may not even be aware of until you have taken such training. Suffice it to say, diving solo is advanced stuff. You can't rely on a snorkeler above you to assist you; a snorkeler above you does not make a solo dive into something else. Don't do it until you have gotten a lot more experience and, most would advise, specific training.

 

[Robert H. Diver]

Depends, I think. How thorough was your OW and AOW training? How confident are you in your abilities? Will you be diving shallow enough (say, in the lagoon between the shore and a barrier reef--if there in fact is a barrier reef) that your wife will be skin-diving down to your depth--you know, swimming pool diving well depth?

rx7diver

That’s an extremely specific situation…at 9 dives he doesn’t have really ANY experience and I’m sure hasn’t dealt with any problems…you can’t really put a number on a diver and say “ok you’re ready to solo,” but 9 definitely isn’t it…..

 

[johndiver999]

You should be worried about wife not you. Leave her on beach and go do your shallow dive alone.